Updated 4 Aug 2026 · recomputed nightly

Visiting San Diego in December 2026?

December sits between the seasons in San Diego: mild and showery, around 18°C / 64°F, Lively on 26 of 31 days — 5 days run Busy or Packed.

In short, a solid middle-ground pick.

Among the 12 months we forecast for San Diego, December ranks 6th for crowd pressure. Its heaviest day is Wed 30 Dec, busier than 89% of the year; its lightest is Tue 1 Dec at 49%.

Crowds

5/31 busy or packed

0 calm · 26 lively

Weather

18°C / 64°F

rain ~6 days

Value

A fair balance

a solid middle-ground pick

Preparing pays off in a month like this: timed-entry tickets and pre-booked tours turn the queue time into sightseeing time. see the options →

How busy is San Diego in December?

The busiest days are the 7th, 20th, 26th and 30th, and 1 more. Away from those, most days sit Lively. The calmest stretch is the 8th–19th.

Ships call on 5 of 31 days, a typical call day carrying at least 2,348 guests between them — real, but a secondary part of the crowd here; the season moves the needle more.

The month is not one thing: its lightest day sits at 49% of the year and its heaviest at 89%, so where you land inside it matters. Daylight runs about 10 hours.

Either side of it, January is much calmer.

The calmest days include the 1st, 2nd and 3rd — 25 days share that level, so there is room to choose.

CalmLivelyBusyPacked⚓ ships in port · % = busier than this share of the year · tap any day for its full forecast

Best daysTue 1 · Wed 2 · Thu 3 — The calmest days include the 1st, 2nd and 3rd — 25 days share that level, so there is room to choose.

Busiest daysMon 7 · Sun 20 · Sat 26 · Wed 30 — the heaviest of 5 busier days — check the calendar for the rest.

How does January compare? →

Locked into a busy day? Here's the play.

–9am

Own the morning.The day-trip wave lands mid-morning; the headline sights before nine are effectively yours.

10–5

Go where the day-trippers don't.Away from the headline sights it stays manageable all day. Save the marquee ones.

5pm+

Take the city back.Day-trippers leave by early evening — the same squares empty out and the light is better.

Need flexibility? The 8th–19th is the month's calmest stretch — the easiest window to move around in.
On the busy days, the walk-up queues for the big sights are the biggest time-sink — a timed-entry ticket skips them, which is where a busy month is won or lost.

Travelling on a busy day?
Timed-entry and skip-the-line tickets turn queue time into sightseeing time — sort them before you fly.

See skip-the-line options for San Diego →

December weather in San Diego

Mild — around 18°C / 64°F, with a light jacket for the evenings, with rain on about 6 days. Daylight is short, about 10 hours, so plan the big sights for the middle of the day.

So is it worth it? →

Is December worth it in San Diego?

A fair balance — decent weather, crowds you can work around.

Worth booking the marquee sights ahead for the busy days, but you can keep the rest of the trip flexible.

Compare January →

Keep planning

← San Diego in NovemberThe month before — compare the crowds.San Diego in January →The month after — compare the crowds. San Diego, the whole yearAll twelve months on one page. Fort LauderdaleBusy most days in December — see its full year.KralendijkPacked most days in December — see its full year.MelbournePacked most days in December — see its full year.

Built on: United States' public holidays · the official airport-arrivals pattern (BTS T-100, measured 2023–2025; airport-arrivals proxy for visitor volume) · five years of weather records (2019–2023) · the published cruise schedule
Every figure is recomputed nightly from real cruise schedules, public and school holidays, and long-run climate normals. Gaps are shown, not filled.